Typically, the horizontally disposed wooden planks which form the seating surfaces on bleachers and other stadium benches need to be replaced, at considerable expense, about every seven (7) years. The wear and tear which fans and the elements exert on these structures is tremendous. Accordingly, the possibility of providing bleacher covers has occurred to others. Perhaps the most frequently used covers are formed from thermosetting plastics, such as polyester resin, and glass fibers. While such covers extend the life of the bench, they cannot expand and contract, are relatively brittle, and need to be painted frequently to prevent the glass fibers from migrating to the surface and becoming embedded in spectators' clothing and skin.
Seat covers formed from thermoplastics such as ABS and polyvinyl resins have also been attempted, at least on paper. However, some of these early thermoplastic covers were rather expensive, multicomponent molded structures. Others were so flexible and/or weakly attached to the underlying structure as to conclude that they were made for more passive crowds than presently attend stadiums in this and other countries. Furthermore, none of the early thermoplastic covers, so far as the present inventors are aware, made any provision for weatherability, i.e. inhibiting the deleterious effects of sunlight to which this group of synthetic resins is susceptible.
Vinyl house siding, wherein a base or matrix of relatively inexpensive thermoplastic material is co-extruded with a thin cap of weatherable resin, is well know. Of course, vinyl siding is not subjected to sports fans, nor is it operative in single, horizontally disposed profiles.
In some areas, wooden seats have been replaced with aluminum stringers or beams. Aluminum, however, is an increasingly expensive commodity, produces sharp burs when gouged, stains clothing if not anodized and conducts heat away from the body.
Accordingly, the present inventors were faced with the problems of creating a relatively inexpensive and comfortable cap or cover that would outlast comparable products, and that was adaptable, with minor changes, for use on old wooden, as well as new metal, beams or planks, as well as on new metal seating.